All or Nothing
by hollyglas
Summary: Set three years after Series 5, Doc and Louisa are finally settled. Or are they? Change is coming and it remains to be seen whether the Doc can handle it.  I own nothing but too much free time and an over-active imagination.
1. Chapter 1

As Martin finished his notes on the morning patients, he calculated how much time he would have for lunch. He knew there were plenty of options in the kitchen, but today he felt like getting some sea air. Perhaps a stroll down to the bakery…

There is a knock on the door. Martin automatically answered, "Yes?" without looking up. Although he knew he didn't have any more appointments until after lunch, there was always some citizen of Portwenn popping by to mention some pain or rash, often after several days of some pointless home treatment which inevitable made whatever minor ailment they originally had worse.

Morwenna stuck her head around the door. "Doc? Chris Parsons is here and wants a word. Not another patient til 2. Should I send him in?" Martin furrowed his brow. What would bring Chris all the way from Truro unannounced? It should be at least another month before he made is regular appointment to "discuss" the various complaints made to the PCT about rudeness or disrespect that whingers regularly lodged. They usually dispelled with the pretence quickly and then would catch up on the latest journal articles or treatment advances, and more recently raising children, over a cup of coffee. It was the closest thing to a chat that Martin ever participated in and as much as he enjoyed these visits, he doubted Chris would make a special trip for one.

"Erm. Yes, send him in and then you can take your lunch break."

A few moments later, Chris opened the door with a smile and closed the door behind him. "Martin, how are you?" "Fine," replied. Martin. "And how's Louisa and James? Both enjoying school?". "They're fine. And yes." Chris stood for a few seconds looking at Martin before sighing and taking a seat. Martin raised one eyebrow – this was not going to be good. "What trouble have you come to deliver?"

"Right. Straight to the point, then. Mart, there _is_ a problem. I'm sure you're aware of the new reaches of the austerity programs. They're looking at the rising cost of healthcare. NHS budget cuts mean that we can't support as many village surgeries as we have now. There are cuts all over the country and Cornwall is no exception. Of course we can't leave people without proper care and we won't," he assured himself as much as Martin.

Martin's eyes narrowed. "Chris, what the hell does all that mean?"

"Well, in order to keep uninterrupted coverage at cost, we're going to have to combine the practice areas of Portwenn, Port Karreck and St. Tomas into one locale, serviced by one central medical staff. A sort of regional home office for medical care." Martin stared at him with a look Chris couldn't quite read so he plowed on. "Basically, one surgery will gain all the extra patients and the other two will remain as emergency-only offices or outposts but will not be fully staffed or supplied. In all likelihood, they will be sold off and replaced with small offices to keep supplies for first aid emergencies."

Martin noticed that Chris kept giving him the "reassuring smile". It was a name some of the other house doctors came up with for the half-smile many of them took on when telling a patient they needed major surgery, often punctuated with a slight nod, meant to convey the serious nature of the problem while convincing the patient they has nothing to worry about. It was an expression Martin had never mastered.

"What aren't you telling me?" Chris nodded and went on. "Well, Dr. Truscott in St. Tomas is 67. He's on the verge of retirement and when you add in that St. Tomas is the smallest of the 3 and therefore more easily subsumed into the others, it's pretty much out of the running. That leaves Portwenn and Port Karreck as the only viable options to remain open."

"I see, so what happens to the physician whose surgery is closed."

"Well, I should be able to offer the job of Alternating Locum." Martin frowned, "And what is that?" Chris continued. "Well, 2-3 days a week, he will assist the remaining physician in dealing with the influx of new patients and the other days he will be a locum around Cornwall. Or he can go private, though there's not much call for that North Cornwall." He smiled conspiratorially. "Still with London tourists and celebrities moving this way, perhaps he could charm a stable living out of them." He looked at Martin, and his smile faded. "Or not."

"So which surgery is closing?"

"Well, naturally I recommended Portwenn as remaining open. You have far more experience with an impeccable list of credentials. On a personal note, you have a family here in town and Griggs is single. Having a less secure job with odd hours would be harder on you as would uprooting should you choose to pursue options elsewhere."

"So," Martin surmised, "if the Head of the PCT wants me…"

"It's not that simple," Chris interrupted. "Unfortunately, this is change that is being spearheaded from London and there is a committee that will make the final decisions for Cornwall and Devon. My recommendation will carry a lot of weight, of course, but ultimately they must decide."

"I see." Now Martin could see the problem. Although he and Chris could shrug off those ridiculous complaints, it meant there was a trail of paperwork. If London committees loved anything, it was rifling through paper.

Chris could see Martin's brain turning this over and summarized what both of them were thinking. "Frankly, Mart, you're not helped your case. Dr. Griggs has made a lot of friends in the last 3 years. He attends all the monthly medical committee meetings and has a good rapport with everyone on the PCT. You rarely come to any and when you do, you manage to outrage or offend everyone in the room. Plus, his patients love him and they have been very fervent to keep their doc. Let's just say Portwenn hasn't been so vocal."

Martin sat back in his seat and let out a loud sigh. "So now what?"

"I'll push for you, but I am going to need your cooperation. Please make an effort to impress the committee on their visits and try to stay of the negative limelight. No ruining village festivals or scaring parents." He glanced at Martin. "At least for the next couple months."


	2. Chapter 2

After Chris left, Martin leaned back in his chair and thought about their conversation. Just when his life seemed settled, he was now in some sort of ridiculous a competition with an over-rated windbag like Griggs.

Derek Griggs. Good lord, he couldn't stand the man. He was everything that Martin despised in the phrase "local doc". When he'd moved to Port Karreck three years ago, he often visited Martin's surgery on the pretence of getting to know the terrain. He was a few years younger than Martin, but clearly viewed him as a colleague and potential friend. Martin had done his best to dissuade him of this notion, the attempt having ended with a mistimed slamming of his consulting room door. As he had reached for a roll of gauze, Martin was momentarily grateful for the effort to cure his haemophobia.

He still made regular visits to the Portwenn and delighted in charming the locals or joining them in the pub for drink. He would often visit Miss Warren in the chemist shop. She'd been hired by Mrs. Tischell to dole out medications and give advice after Mrs. Tischell lost her pharmaceutical license. Her kidnapping of James Henry had exposed her self-medicating program and the PCT had felt it was time for her to take a less stressful role in her community. She'd still kept the shop as an income for her and Clive for their golden years, but was kept to selling chocolates, hand creams and tourist trinkets. She would often stare longingly at the (always locked) medicines cabinets and hover close-by as Jenna spoke in a low voice to her clients about their symptoms. Martin visited as infrequently as possible, to avoid any awkward moments, preferring to send Morwenna or discuss patients with Miss Warren on the phone. Louisa avoided the shop altogether.

The all-knowing gossip insiders in Portwenn speculated when Griggs and Jenna would marry, but just when it seemed to be on, he would be too busy to visit for a few weeks.

Martin had the unfortunate privilege of visiting Griggs surgery only once. His waiting room was full of celebrity gossip magazines and trays of biscuits and cakes that patients would bring in, no doubt to the thrill of the local dentist. The receptionist loudly greeted by every incoming patient with a boisterous "Hiyee" and then returned to her phone to discuss the ailments of previous patients with someone on the phone. She reminded him a bit too much of Elaine, very social, very chatty, and very unprofessional. Martin shuddered and, for once, was grateful for Pauline and Morwenna.

He fully understood why Griggs was so popular with his patients. He never lectured them about diet and exercise or reminded them of the dangers of smoking and drinking. Worse, he would give out unnecessary prescriptions to assuage some overwrought parent that there was an easy solution to their child's illness. Martin had pointed out that giving out antibacterials willy-nilly would do nothing but increase their immunity to certain strains of bacteria later. Griggs laughed and doubted there would be a breakout of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in North Cornwall any time soon. What an idiot.

If Martin was honest, there was a personal reason for his hatred. Although he clearly didn't like him, there was little call for Martin to interact with Griggs at all and the two could have let their rare professional contacts be the end of it. But then, that wasn't the way life worked in small villages.

Griggs was exactly the kind of man many in Portwenn assumed Louisa would end up with. Like her, he enjoyed socializing and "just having a laugh". They were the same age and when they spoke, there was easiness in their conversation that set Martin's teeth on edge.

To make matters worse, the people of Portwenn seemed to delight in pointing this out. Just last month the pattern repeated itself. He'd been in town one morning for one of his visits and had bumped into Louisa on her way to school and the two had chatted for a few minutes. Martin had been overheard the gossip in the waiting room about how much seeing the two of them laughing together had reminded them of Louisa and Danny. What a nice couple they had been and what a shame it hadn't worked between them. Whenever Martin walked out into the room, the babbling died to whispers and knowing glances.

Louisa had listened to similar musings that afternoon. _We always thought you'd end up with someone like that. Not that the Doc isn't a great father and all._ Louisa had patiently smiled and reminded those friendly individuals that she and Martin were quite happy. _Still not married though? After all these years?_ No, replied Louisa, forcing the smile on her face to remain in place as the helpful soul nodded sympathetically and continued on their way.

When she and James got home and saw Martin's thunderous face, she knew he'd heard the chatter as well. As much as she loved her village and knew it was the best place to raise James, there were days…

She was also sure that Martin had heard comments about them still not being married. There was a look he got on his face whenever anyone mentioned the word marriage. She knew he was willing to marry her, to make their family official and give her a sense of security. It was old-fashioned nonsense to her mind, as if a piece of paper defined their relationship. Still, she found it endearing of him.

For a while, he had continued to hint at the prospect until he finally gave up after getting no reaction from her. What had surprised him was the sense of relief he felt when she refused to discuss the issue. The moment everyone knew they were planning a wedding, it would inevitably bring up comparisons to their last failed attempt. That nightmare kept them both from seriously thinking about the prospect. What if another attempt at marrying ended like their first one, with her walking away from him as he let her go? They couldn't do that to James and honestly neither thought they could survive the misery would follow again.

Still Martin had made a few half-hearted attempts at a proposal following their reconciliation. The most dismal had been shortly before James's first birthday when he'd planned a romantic dinner for the two of them at a restaurant in Truro, even arranging to drop off James with the Parsons. His thought at the time had been perhaps it was the way he was asking that kept her from agreeing. She relished romance and flowers and for once he thought he might have gotten it right. Louisa had been enjoying the evening but had frozen when she realized the purpose for Martin's sudden tender turn. Before he'd even got the question out she'd shut him down, warning him in no uncertain terms, not to spoil the evening.

x-x-x

He was startled by the loud rap on the door. Martin shrugged the memory from his mind and barked, "What?" Morwenna walked in carrying a patient's notes. "Ready for Mrs. Averill then, Doc?" She noticed that Doc Martin was still sitting in front behind his desk with a half-empty cup of cold coffee. "Decided to skip lunch then?"

Martin looked at his watch and saw it was 2:05. Damn. He'd have to try to grab something during his next coffee break.

A/N:

Pseudomonas aeruginosa – a common bacteria that has antibiotic resistance genes and can mutate to acquire resistance


	3. Chapter 3

_Later that evening_.

"So if they choose Derek, you become a locum?" Louisa and Martin were discussing Chris's visit as they cleared up the kitchen after dinner. That evening Martin had given James his bath after dinner while Louisa finished up a few assignments. They switched around household chores like cooking and cleaning to accommodate their jobs. There was, however, one task they always did together – James's bedtime routine. After his bath, he would get into his pyjamas and pick out a book. Martin and Louisa would sit on his bed and read to him until his eyes got heavy. Then each would kiss him goodnight and slip downstairs to finish clearing up and then have a little private time to discuss their day.

"Something like that. Or I can set up a private practice here in the village. Or I can find somewhere else to set up practice and…" He let this last thought taper off. He knew any mention of leaving Portwenn usually upset Louisa.

She leaned forward to look him directly in the eye. "Well then you had better impress the committee." She saw him roll his eyes and heard his mutter something under his breath. "Come on Martin, just make sure you don't do or say anything too offensive."

"That's what Chris said. Why is everyone assuming I can't behave professionally?" Louisa paused in wiping down the table, shook her head and continued her task, wisely deciding not to answer that question. "So what do you need to do to convince them that you're the best possible choice?"

"Not sure of the criteria yet, but I assume it will encompass my qualifications, medical knowledge and reputation. The only issue will be the intangibles."

"What intangibles?" Louisa asked. So far everything seemed to be in Martin's favour. Martin sighed and replied, "Charm. According to Chris," he added. Louisa couldn't help herself. She spun around and looked at Martin aghast. This was worse than she originally thought. She'd witnessed him in front of two separate panels and in neither experience would have given him high marks in charm.

He noticed her expression and knew what she was thinking. Martin pursed his lips as he gripped the back of a nearby chair. "Right. I'm not charming. I get it."

Louisa looked at him and realized that being compared to men like Derek shook his confidence. She'd seen it before when Danny had toyed with moving back to Cornwall. "Martin." She said encouragingly. "That's not true. I find you very charming." She put her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. "But sometimes, you're very good at hiding just how charming you can be."

"I don't recall being charming" he muttered. He let go of the chair to return her embrace, resting his chin against her forehead.

"What about last month? When you put a rose in my lunch bag? That was delightful." As she spoke, she tightened her grip. She recalled how delighted she'd been to see that rare romantic gesture.

Martin's ears turned red as he recalled how Louisa had thanked him that evening. "Hmm. I can hardly give the committee roses."

"True." She snuggled her head on his chest and breathed him in. She always felt so safe and comfortable in his arms and she hoped that her embrace was easing some of his apprehension. As he slowly rubbed her shoulder with one hand and her lower back with another, she noticed how hot it was getting. "We could keep reminiscing about all of your endearing moments, or we can call it an early night and you can practice that charm on me now."

He smiled down at her and placed a passionate kiss on her lips. "Good plan."

She pulled back from his arms, took his hand and led him up the stairs. As they entered their bedroom, Martin stopped and pulled back on her hand to look at her. She glanced back with a questioning look.

It was moments like this when Martin couldn't believe the course his life had taken. He knew what a miserable bugger he was, how difficult he could be. He'd spent most of life being reminded of that fact. Most of the people who came into his life left just as quickly. There were a handful of loyal friends and relatives who stayed a part of his life, but try as they might, he often had the impression that they were just tolerating him. They would shake their heads and smile to themselves and he knew he had managed to disappoint once again.

And then there was Louisa. For most of their early relationship, he had wondered which category she would fit into. Would she finally grow tired of him and his churlish manner and blunt words? Or could he hope she might join the latter group who would hover near his life, allowing him to have a small part of hers? Instead, she had embraced his gruff rudeness. No matter how hard he tried to push her away, to avoid the inevitable heartbreak when she gave up, she wouldn't let him go. She had forced her way into his life and changed his wretched existence. If he allowed himself such a gratification, he might even admit he was happy.

He smiled and pulled her into his arms and began nuzzling her neck and placed light kisses on her shoulders. Louisa slid her hands along the lapels of his suit and around his neck. She let her head fall back as Martin kissed her along her along her collarbone. One of his hands moved to knead her bum while the other supported her back. "Perhaps we should lie down, hmm," she asked coyly. Still gripping her back and kissing her along her neck, he walked her backwards toward their bed.

She pushed him away a little and reached for the buttons of his jacket. This was one of her favourite moments, getting strip off the official Martin the world saw to reveal the soft, gentle man beneath. She placed his tie on a chair with the jacket and then started on his shirt buttons. His reached up and pulled the ribbon out of her hair as he placed small kisses around her face. Her pony tail collapsed as her hair fell seductively over her shoulders. Louisa reached for the buttons on his trousers and quickly undid them. She pulled his shirt out and dropped it in a heap on the floor. As his trousers fell to the floor she ran her hands up his bare chest and around his neck, pulling him down for another smoldering kiss. He picked her up, spun around, kicking off his trousers and sat on the bed in just his trunks. He lowered Louisa until she was standing between his legs.

"My turn," he whispered breathlessly. His deep voice made her shiver. He pulled her sweater over head gently. The delicate buttons on her shirt were a bit more challenging but as he undid each one, he placed a kiss on the skin that was revealed making her shudder. Finally, he dropped her shirt on to his and her skirt quickly joined his trousers. His fingers gently traced her breasts and he could feel her lean on his shoulders for support. He stood up and they removed the rest of their clothes and climbed into bed.

As his kisses trailed down her cleavage and between her breasts, she gripped his shoulders and pulled him down to indicate that she was ready for things to progress between them. Martin smiled at this familiar sign and reached into the drawer by the table. Louisa caught his hand. "Let's not." "But Louisa, I thought we were…" "We are," she said breathlessly, "but I don't think we need that, do we." Martin sighed. Here we go, he thought.

"Louisa, I don't think this is the time to discuss…" He hated this awkward conversation that kept repeating itself.

"Then when? I'm 41, Martin. The decision about having another child is quickly being made for us. Besides, even with trying to get pregnant, it may take a while to happen."

Martin sighed – couldn't they just enjoy the night without having concern for their future interrupt the mood? He knew Louisa wanted to have another child, but he was finally in a place where he felt comfortable with James. Why risk it their happy family. What he also didn't want to admit was that it was the thought of her pregnant scared him. Years later, he still felt guilty about how that time in their lives had played. They spent most of her final trimester doing everything they could to hurt each other and push each other away. He felt that she hadn't trusted him during that trying time and, although Louisa assured him he turned into a wonderful father, there was a part of him that wondered if she hadn't been right it keeping him out of the pregnancy.

She felt him tense up and knew one thing was certain. Either she could let it go for the night or they could continue this debate until they inevitably ended up angrily lying facing opposite directions, too frustrated to sleep. She looked at the small packet in his hand and decided she'd rather enjoy their evening. "To be continued later."

Still, the mood had definitely chilled and she decided to heat things back up. She took the packet from his hand and whispered, "allow me," as she rolled him over. With a mischievous grin she disappeared under the duvet. Martin again thought about how lucky he was. He knew this conversation wasn't over and that there was probably a nasty fight coming, but tonight, he pushed that thought out of his mind. Louisa popped her head up from the sheet and coyly asked "still interested?" He grinned and pulled her up to straddle him. "Absolutely" he whispered.

xXxXx

Huge thanks to everyone who's been reviewing – it's been a great help.


	4. Chapter 4

Martin looked at Jayne Mallard, perplexed. She and her mother starred at him looking for an answer. "So," Martin recapped, more to the benefit of his own thought process, "every morning you still feel nauseous and have stomach cramps." The girl nodded. "And these symptoms usually subside by early afternoon?"

Jayne gave her mother a look of confusion. "Um…" Mrs. Mallard spoke up. "Yes. She's fine before school's out and she never goes without supper. Right healthy appetite by tea."

"And you've avoided all dairy – milk, cheese, yogurt…" Both women nodded.

"And you've been experiencing these symptoms for how long?"

"I've just been having my usually orange juice. Mum makes is fresh with a juicer and real oranges." Mrs. Mallard nodded in agreement. "Better than the stuff in the shops, full of preservatives and all."

"Long as I can remember. Least as long as I've been going to school," replied Jayne.

Martin looked up, annoyed that this had gone on for this long without consulting him. Sometimes keeping this village alive was an uphill battle.

Mrs. Mallard must have sensed what he was thinking. "Well, we went to Doc Simm when she first began to feel ill, back when she was still in primary school. He said since it would go away after a while, not to worry about it and just eat enough once her appetite was back. We were visiting my brother-in-law in Barnstable and he said that didn't sound right and told us to go see his doctor. We didn't, but thought maybe we should see you."

Martin shook his head and looked at her notes again. What an appalling physician this man must have been. Jayne watched the frown form on his face and assumed it was about her. She anxiously whispered, "It's serious isn't it?"

Martin stared at her for several seconds before responding. Best to rule out the simple causes first before looking into more serious causes which would require a battery of tests and potentially worry a young patient needlessly. "Maybe not. It could be a simple allergy. The next step is to perform the scratch test. I'll scratch your back with several known allergens. Based on your reaction, we should be able to ascertain whether this is an allergy and what is the basis. I can then prescribe a course of treatment. See Morwenna to make an appointment." The two women stood up and quickly scurried out of the consulting room.

Martin made a few comments in her patient notes while pondering to himself the most likely causes of Jayne's allergies. Not dairy. She ate sandwiches for lunch, so probably not glutens. A detergent or soap? Dust, perhaps?

His thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking "Shave and A Haircut" on his door. He looked up to see Dr. Griggs stroll in with a wide grin. "Mart! How goes it?" Griggs sat in the chair and leaned back a bit. As usual, he wore a suit without a tie, the top two buttons of his shirt open.

"I'm busy," replied Martin with disdain. It was remarkable how so _popular_ a doctor always seemed to have the time to traipse around the county during working hours, dropping in for little chats.

"Aren't we all," laughed Griggs.

"Apparently not." Griggs eyed Martin warily. _What a miserable tosser this guy was. Why had he chosen a career in medicine when it was so obvious he hated people? And how the hell had he won over the knock-out teacher with the gorgeous eyes_?

"I supposed you've gotten a visit from Parsons? Told you the word about the cuts and all?"

"Yes. Dr. Parsons informed me of PCT's plans."

"So… Looks like we're competing against each other, eh? A doctor-off, if you will." Griggs laughed at his own joke and glanced up at Ellingham. Whatever reaction he was expecting to see, he was disappointed. Martin continued to stare at him stonily.

"Well, I just thought I'd stop by and say that no matter what happens, no hard feelings, eh? We'll still be the same as always, right?" Martin grunted in response. He doubted anything could change how much he loathed the smirking buffoon sitting in front of him. Griggs glanced down at the desk for a second and then quickly stood up, extending his right hand.

"Well, let the best man win." Martin looked at the hand and then back to the notes he was finishing. "Please ask the receptionist to send in the next patient." Griggs walked to the door and glanced back before opening it. _If this was how Ellingham was going to behave, this would be an easy defeat - arrogant bastard couldn't even get out of his own way_. He snickered and left.

Martin could hear him joking loudly with Morwenna. He threw his pen down on his desk and sat back. _Breathe, Ellingham, breathe_.

Xxxx

Thanks to all for the comments – I've gotten some great feedback!


	5. Chapter 5

Louisa stared at the array of index cards in front of her. Why on earth she had agreed to head up the committee for this year's St. Piran's day fair eluded her at that moment. After last years' fair was cut short due to a spring thunderstorm, she had agreed to have the school gymnasium ready as a back-up plan. She had wanted to be on the committee to make sure they didn't plan something that could destroy school property and before she knew what happened, she was the chairwoman. Three dozen stalls and a stage for the "Best Costume" competition.

At least she had gotten a couple hours of peace this afternoon. Martin had taken James out with him on his morning errands. She smiled as she thought about how close her two men were. When she and Martin had originally reconciled following James's early arrival, she assumed she would have to push Martin to participate in their son's life. To her delight, Martin had quickly become a terrific father and James loved spending as much time in his company as possible. She'd also asked Martin to get some new shoes for James as he was once again experiencing a growth spurt that would quickly make his current favourites un-wearable. Already bigger than many of the boys his age, he was turning into a smaller version of Martin, right down to the ears, which were adorable, but stick out at an awkward angle. His talkative, social nature and easy smile were the only evidence of her contribution to the mix.

She looked back at the cards with a sigh. She hoped this time next year she might be too busy with another child to get sucked into this mess. She wondered again why Martin seemed unwilling discuss a second child. He clearly loved being a father and he seemed to have finally settled into life in Cornwall.

She frowned at this last thought. What if he lost his job? As much as she loved him, she knew that he could be, well, difficult on a good day. If it simply a matter of CVs, she would have no worries, but if he was required to charm a bunch of bureaucrats...

She remembered the first time she had witnessed the great Dr. Ellingham sitting stiffly in front of a committee, looking his nose down at the members. She had glared across the table with disdain at the pervert who had clearly been leering at her on the plane ride from London. The other PCT members had seemed enamored with his credentials, but she couldn't see such cold fish who refused to acknowledge patients as more than bodies being responsible for the wellbeing of her beloved village. She was right, of course, he had never quite fit in. She was also eternally grateful that she had lost that fight. Chris Parsons had assured the committee to trust him, Martin would do a fine job and she had reluctantly agreed. She swallowed and decided to once again trust Chris.

Her reverie was disturbed by voices approaching to back door. James walked in laughing with Martin following behind with a quizzical look. "Don't you get it Daddy?" Martin shook his head and took coat off and hung it on the peg behind the door. James ran over to Louisa, who hugged him and helped him pull his jacket off.

"What's a frog's favourite drink? Croaka cola!" James erupted into a fit of laughter. Louisa laughed and handed the jacket to Martin, giving him a quick kiss.

"Where did you hear that one?" The little boy sat at the table looking at the cards on the table. "From Miss Warren," replied James. "Whatcha doing? Can I help?"

Louisa stiffened slightly. "She was at the dry cleaners when I dropped off my shirts," Martin quickly interjected. Louisa nodded. She knew it was silly, but even three years later she still got a lump in her throat thinking about James being in the chemist shop.

"Of course you can help. I need to pick all these cards up in order so we can have lunch." James nodded and started carefully stacking the cards in order. She placed her notebook on a nearby chair and turned around and smiled at her two men. "What shall we have then?"

xxxxx

Martin walked back into the reception area to drop off the notes from the last few patients. Morwenna looked up. "Hey, Doc? You wanna have a look at this before I send it off to Truro?"

"What is it?" He could see from the blue letterhead that it was another official enquiry from the PCT. It seemed to him that every other day brought some new request for information or statistics from the Healthcare Evolution Committee. Surprisingly, Morwenna had turned out to be quite good at handling these requests. She put it down to the numerous crosswords and puzzles she did sitting at the reception desk waiting for the Doc to finish with a patient.

"They want to know how many repeat prescriptions you send in every month. Had to phone the chemists for help on this one." She handed him the paper that had the prescriptions broken down by month and type of medication.

"Erm, thank you," Martin replied. She smiled and looked back at the book in front of her. She had recently signed up to take some biology and chemistry courses through the Open University. With the Doc's help, she was thinking of becoming a medical assistant, which could mean more money and ticket to a bigger town like Newquay or Bude.

Martin turned to walk into his surgery reading the paper as he went when the door of the surgery swung open. A short woman, blond woman wearing a polka-dotted dress with a large bow at the neck walked in. She had a grimace on her face and was rubbing her forehead over the large sunglasses that covered half her face.

"Is this the Doctor's office?" she asked in a squeaky voice. Morwenna cocked her head and replied, "That's what the sign by the door says."

The woman gave her a sarcastic smile. "I need to see the Doctor immediately." Morwenna pointed at Martin. "That's him."

Martin looked at her and asked, "What is the problem?"

"Oh, Doctor. I am having the worst migraine." As if to prove the severity of her ailment, she slumped on the edge of the reception desk. Morwenna leaned back in her chair and scrutinized this woman with a mix of shock and loathing. She pulled herself together enough to ask, "You a new patient or just visitin'?" The woman directed her reply to Martin, as if he had asked. "I'm just passing through the area."

Martin pointed towards his consulting room. "Please come through." She strode past him. "Morwenna, visiting patient form, please." He turned at followed the woman into the room. "Please have a seat," he said as he indicated the chair opposite his desk. As she sat, the woman dropped her bag, which by the loud thud it made, was apparently full of bricks. She must have discovered the bric-a-brac that tourists were inevitably drawn to.

Martin sat behind the desk as Morwenna bounced in, placed the form on his desk and bounced back out, pointedly ignoring the woman. Martin rolled his eyes and let them settle on the heavily made-up face in front of him. "Name?"

"Ingrid. Ingrid Wingarden."

"Date of Birth?" "21st of May." Martin paused, waiting for her to continue. "What year?"

Ingrid gave him a shocked smile. "Surely you don't expect a lady to give out that information." Martin didn't look up. "If she wants medical assistance, she will."

"Doctor, um." She glanced at the plaque on his desk. "Ellingham. May I call you Martin?" She rifled through her bag for a few seconds before producing a small prescription bottle. "Can't you just prescribe me some Norflex?" she asked, shaking the bottle slightly and giving Martin her most beguiling smile.

Martin fixed her with a piercing look. "Ms. Wingarden. I do not hand out medication without first assessing a patient's medical situation. I will not prescribe a medication like Norflex without first ruling out glaucoma, ulcers or pregnancy, no matter how unlikely. I need to know your age to determine correct dosages of any medication I prescribe, so please tell me your FULL date of birth. And it's Dr. Ellingham or Doctor."

Ingrid visibly recoiled in the chair. "21st May. 1967." Martin wrote the information down and continued without looking up. "Please sit on the couch and I will begin the examination."

xxxxx

Morwenna glanced up from her magazine, which she was skimming through as a break from her studies. The door swung open and the rude woman stormed out. Her face was red and she had looked fit to be tied. She paused at the door of the surgery to adjust her jacket and replace her ridiculous sunglasses. She huffed loudly and stomped out the door, slamming it loudly behind her.

The other patients who were waiting barely took her in. People storming out of the Doc's consulting room were hardly a rare occurrence. If she'd come out smiling, that be a newsworthy shock.

A few seconds later, Martin came out into the waiting room carrying his coffee cup in one hand and the patient form in the other. He glared at the door and muttered, "for God's sake" under his breath. The receptionist couldn't help asking, "Everything sorted?"

"Yes. Give me a few minutes to get some coffee and send in my next patient." He dropped the form on her desk, spun around and headed for the kitchen. Morwenna turned the form over and read at the bottom "Simple headache. No prescription needed." Morwenna couldn't help smirking. As much he could be a right tosser to her sometimes, she did love seeing the Doc take the wind out of the sails of these self-righteous tourists. She looked up and smiled. "Mr. Wilson, you're up next."


	6. Chapter 6

Martin walked up to the woman sitting behind the desk with a headset on. She looked up and gave him an empty smile. "Good morning, sir, can I help you?"

"Yes, Dr. Ellingham for Chris Parsons."

"Yes, Dr. Ellingham. Please have a seat." She pointed in the direction of a row of blue plush chairs. "Can I offer you tea or coffee?"

"You can," Martin replied, "but no thank you." The girl paused and gave him a little laugh. Great, she thought, another uptight tosser correcting my grammar.

Martin sat and closed his eyes remembering the advice Louisa had been telling him this morning. "There's nothing dishonest in being polite. You don't have to kowtow and grovel, but you don't have to tell anyone what an idiot they are, even if you think that they are. And be nice to Derek. He may end up being your boss." He was fairly certain she was teasing him a little with this last comment, but he was all too aware of the real possibility of that. As he shuddered, he heard the door open and Griggs walked in.

"Martin! I see you beat me here." Griggs smiled warmly at Martin as he walked up to the reception desk. "Hello there, Carol." He said glancing at the name plate on the desk. "How are you this fine morning?" The receptionist looked up and grinned bashfully at the good looking man cheerfully leaning over her desk. "How can I help you, sir."

"Please. Derek. Derek Griggs here for the meeting with Chris Parsons."

"Yes, Dr. Griggs. Please have a seat." She pointed in Martin's direction. "_May _I offer you tea or coffee?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine. I'll just hang out over here with Mart." Derek sat down next to Martin, still grinning.

"Gotta tell you, mate, I'm nervous. You're a top doctor and former surgeon and I'm just a small town GP. I just hope I can out charm you, eh?" He gave Martin a little bump in the arm. It was everything Martin could do not to tell him where to put that charm.

Carol looked up at the familiar scene that had played out all week. Every day had been sets of two to four doctors sitting in the reception area waiting to meet the committee that would determine their fates. This first introductory meeting was meant let the doctors know who was going to be on their panel and make sure they understood the criteria that would be used in the final decisions. Although this was the tenth such meeting since Tuesday, she had to admit she hadn't seen such an odd pair before. One doctor sat beaming confidence and smiling. He wore blue suit with a blue shirt and tie, going for the while monochrome look. He was clearly older than her, but wore his age well.

The other doctor set a completely different tone. He glowered at the room as if it was taking every ounce of patience just to be here. He, too, wore a suit, but it was charcoal grey with a white shirt and red tie. Very traditional. Probably a few years older than the other one, but the look on his face made him seem older. She couldn't wait til he was in the room and out of her domain.

The door to her left opened and Dr. Parsons came out. "Derek, Martin, please join us." The two men looked at each other and followed him into the room. Inside was a set of similar blue plush chairs arrange in a semi-circle. There were two other seats facing them. In the middle were five people who turned to look at the new arrivals. Chris pointed at the two chairs, "please have a seat."

Chris remained standing and began. "The purpose of this introductory meeting is first to let everyone have a chance for face to face introductions. The second is to make sure we're on the same page – that you know what we are looking at and what we will expect from you. So let me begin." He indicated the two men seated to his left. "This is John Spenser and Michael Carson who are PCT officials. Along with me, they will represent the medical community and standards." He them indicated the people on his right. "And representing the government reviewers we have Nora Parkes, Tim Carville and Andrew Wingarden. Ms. Parkes will be serving as our chairwoman."

Martin shifted his gaze to this Parkes woman. She had short brown hair in a bouncy style. She wore a brown suit and a cream blouse with a weird bow tie-up thing at the neck. She nodded at Chris and he sat down.

"Gentleman. First, thank you for coming this morning, I know how busy you must both be. Second, here are the criteria that will be the focus of our deliberations in determining which of you will have the primary role in community healthcare and which of you will take a more, supportive role." She handed each of them a sheet of paper. "Most are self-explanatory, so we won't go into them in detail. Any questions."

Martin perused the list. Nothing unexpected. He grimaced at the last line – visits to the community. Great. The unwashed masses of Portwenn would get to vent their spleens about him.

"Is there a problem, Dr. Ellingham," asked Ms. Parkes, noticing that his expression soured as he read the list.

"These community visits. Will that be the entire committee or select members?" If it was one mass visit, he could probably put on a brave face. If all of them came down individually he would have to endure this charade for an entire month.

"We reserve to right to visit as often as we deem necessary. Without warning," replied Ms. Parkes watching his reaction. She knew the first thing most people questioned was the one they were most nervous about. She made a mental note to make a few trips to Dr. Ellingham's surgery.

"Derek?" asked Chris, "any questions?" "Not really. Well, I see you are looking at our career histories. How far back are talking?"

Ms. Parkes made another mental note to review Griggs's records thoroughly. "Dr. Griggs, we will reserve the right to review your entire medical careers from university on. That being said, since we are trying to determine which of you will be the better guardian of the community, we will be focusing on your current positions, from selection to today."

Griggs nudged Martin and whispered loudly, "From selection, eh? Guess that gives me an edge on that one." He grinned at Martin as if they were sharing an inside joke.

Ms. Parkes asked, "What do you mean by that?" "Well," laughed Griggs, "I just mean I was a unanimous choice by my PCT selection board. Saw I fit right away. Old Martin here wasn't. I believe there was a no vote on his panel. I was just joking to Mart that you might be wanting to talk to that no vote and hear their concerns." Martin and Chris shared a look that didn't go unnoticed by Ms. Parkes.

"Of course we would want to be thorough. I'm sure you have no objections, Dr. Ellingham?" Griggs turned and gave him surprised smile as if he were trying to convey _sorry mate, looks like I dropped you in it._

"No objections," replied Martin. "The no vote was from the lay member of the panel. The head teacher of the village primary school, Miss Louisa Glasson. By all means, feel free to ask her about my care of the community if you think it necessary." Ms. Parkes made note of the name, missing the momentary grimace that crossed Griggs's face. Martin innocently looked at him. "Anything to help."

xxxxx

"That was brilliant, Mart." Chris crowed as they shared lunch in his office. "That smarmy git thought he was going to score a point and you knocked it right out of his hands." He couldn't help smiling. Although he was sure Griggs was a fine doctor, there was something about him Chris didn't trust.

"Don't be silly, Chris. As soon as the committee realize who Louisa is and her relationship to me, anything she says in my favour will be irrelevant." Martin privately admitted that it had felt good to have knocked that supercilious grin of Griggs's face, even for a moment.

"Still." laughed Chris. "To be serious for a moment. I think you should be careful. Derek showed today that he is going to put up a fight, even play dirty. You've got to show them that you are the best doctor in Cornwall."

"Yes, I know. Show them that I can be a guardian of the community." Martin rolled his eyes at the phrase. He was doctor, full stop. He had to make sure their bodies and welfare were top notch. What the community did with them was their own affair.


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry for the gap in updating the next chapter. I hope to not be away from my internet connection for so long again._

Martin walked towards the back door of the cottage. That final warning from Chris had unnerved him more than he cared to admit. Not only was he going to have to listen to the complaints of the people of Portwenn via this ridiculous committee, he had to worry about Griggs using every mistake he had made in the last few years against him. This process was going to be exhausting. Normally, he would have told this committee to go hang itself. There was his record – always thorough, always more than up to date on best medical practices and always within budgetary constraints. If they didn't like it, then he would simply go somewhere else where his medical reputation was appreciated. But now, his life was more complicated than that. He had a family that relied on him, that trusted him. For their sakes, he would have to try.

As he reached for the doorknob there was a loud scream from inside. Rushing in to find out what was the matter, he was confronted with what could only be described as a war zone. There was flour strewn across the floor and on the counters were gobs of some kind of paste. On the kitchen table was a large mound of some sort painted in an array of colours. There was a greenish ooze flowing out of the top and covering the table, dripping onto the floor. The kitchen chairs were huddled around the end closest to this mess and on each chair stood a small boy, James and three boys about his age. They were covered in flour and what appeared to be paint. Louisa stood on the other side of the mound, with paint on her hand and a swipe of flour across her cheek. She glanced up as he burst through the door, a huge grin plastered on her face. There was a sour odour in the air, like something fermenting.

"What the…," Martin started. Louisa quickly interrupted him. "It's a volcano. We made it out of flour, salt and water. The boys painted it. We put soap and baking soda in the top and poured in vinegar to make it erupt." The volcano made a spluttering sound and more ooze poured out. "We may have gone a little overboard in making the lava." The boys were laughing and clapping their hands. "More lava, Mum, it looks cool!" squealed James as the other boys shouted their agreements.

"It's going over everything." Martin reached for the paper towel roll to try and stop the floor from getting covered. "And chairs are for sitting." The laughing boys stopped and turned towards him trying to gage how much trouble they were in.

"Don't worry, we'll clean up," Louisa responded. She was still grinning at the boys, but Martin could see the fire that had crept into her eyes. She was quietly telling him to shut up and not to ruin James's fun.

Louisa had occasionally expressed a worry that James might find it difficult to have many friends if they felt uncomfortable coming over to his house to play. His mother was their head teacher who reprimanded them for running in the halls and for not doing their homework. His father was the doctor who gave them jabs and yelled at them when they ate too many sweets. The only way he was going to be able to feel secure inviting other children over was to make their home as inviting and fun as possible. Part of that was making sure his father didn't rant every time little boys made a mess, which Louisa expected was going to be often.

"Well…I…I have notes to finish up on," Martin announced in a rushed voice. As he retreated to the safety of his consulting room, he heard Louisa tell the boys she had some more food colouring and asking them what colour the next lava flow should be. He hoped they would still have a kitchen before the evening was through.

xxxxx

Martin tapped the page of the large volume sitting open in front of him and then glanced back at Jayne Mallard's notes. Probably not a digestive issue at all, then, he thought. He mentally crossed off another potential diagnosis from the ideas he had spent the evening coming up with. As he closed the book, he realized it was darker in the room than when he had sat down. He glanced at the clock on the small table near the window. Half-seven. Good night, was it really that late? He tucked Jayne's notes in his desk for tomorrow.

He paused at the door on his consulting room and took a deep breath, bracing himself for the chaos that likely lay on the other side. To his surprise, the house was quiet and dark, save for the light in the kitchen. He headed in that direction.

Louisa was wiping down the kitchen table. Except for the large pile of dishes by the sink, there were no remnants of the volcano eruption earlier. She didn't want to hear any comments from Martin, or worse, watch him silently re-clean everything she had just done in order to get it to his standards. She heard him come and started to look up, but deciding against it focused on her cleaning. Martin watched her for a few seconds before asking, "Where is everyone?"

"I took Michael and Stephen home earlier. Tanya picked up Tommy and James a little while ago," Louisa replied. Martin could tell she was annoyed both by her tone of voice and the fact that she still hadn't looked up at him.

"Are those the names of the miscreants?" Louisa stopped cleaning and glared at him. "No, they are James's friends. He doesn't have many, but I want him to feel that he can make as many friends as he wants and we will support him by welcoming them into our home. Got it?" She returned to her task.

Martin again watched her for a few seconds before daring to ask another question. "Who is Tanya and why did she take James?" Louisa turned toward the sink to rinse out the cloth she was using. "Tanya is Tommy's mother. He and James are having a sleep-over at their house. Apparently they recently bought a new tent and have set it up in their lounge. The boys are having a camping adventure." She heard Martin breathe in loudly. "Relax. They'll be inside the whole time and under adult supervision all night."

Martin rolled his eyes. No doubt they would also be eating sweets until all hours and James would come home tomorrow worn-out with a stomach ache. Why on earth would they want to set up a tent in their home? What could have possessed them to do such a silly thing?

As if she could hear his thoughts, Louisa replied, "It's fun. And a chance for the boys to feel as if they are on their own while still having a parent monitoring the situation." She doubted whether Martin had ever done anything silly as a boy, just because it was something fun to do. She knew from Ruth that his parents didn't allow such frivolous activities, but hadn't he ever done something his parent didn't approve of? Hadn't the parents of his friends, if he had many friends, that is.

Martin grunted a response. He didn't understand the allure of sleeping on the floor in tent when there were perfectly good beds in the house, but he realized saying as much would only start an argument he couldn't win. Perhaps it was time to make amends before the evening became a total disaster.

"I see. James is at this Tommy's tonight."

"Yes."

"And he will be back tomorrow morning."

"Correct."

"So, we are alone. Just the two of us this evening."

Louisa stopped her cleaning and held her breath for a moment. Surely he couldn't be making a romantic gesture. Martin didn't do romance. He was probably just stating the obvious. "Yes, just us," she replied cautiously.

She heard him moving behind her. He turned her around and stared into her eyes for a moment. It was moments like this when he could hardly believe she was his, that she chose to be with him. As he leaned forward and raised her hand to her face she started to close her eyes, thrilled at the turn the evening had taken. The next sensation she felt was him rubbing her forehead. She opened her eyes as he pulled his hand back. Traces of the swipe of flour he had just erased were still on his fingers.

She looked as his hand and laughed. A good sign, thought Martin. He leaned forward and gently kissed the spot he had just cleaned. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head against his chest. She was delighted to feel him return the embrace and hold her tight against him. After a few moments, he pulled away from and took her hand. With a slight smile, he led her towards the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Louisa lay cuddled into Martin's chest and sighed contentedly. She tried to remember the last time Martin had been the one to initiate sex. Usually, he let her take the lead or waited until she had made her intentions clear. She didn't mind since he was quickly _up for it_, but it was delightful to have him lead her for a change.

"I forgot to ask, how was your meeting with Chris this afternoon?" She had meant to ask him after the boys left, but as she was afraid her earlier annoyance at his behavior would make her a less than sympathetic audience. She knew he was going to need her support through this.

Martin opened his eyes and sighed. As much as he did _not_ want to think about the committee at a time like this, he learned that confiding in Louisa usually made him feel better. "It was…fine," he replied, struggling for word to assure her not to worry about him.

She rolled away from him so she could look into his eyes. "What went wrong?"

"Apparently this panel is coming to visit Portwenn. They aren't satisfied with looking at me as medical professional. They want to see the community I serve. See me in the community and…"

"And see how the community feels about you." Louisa finished. She could see why he wasn't thrilled. There were few in Portwenn who wouldn't praise Martin as a doctor, as the man you wanted to see when there was an emergency. There were many who would go on to tell that the rest of the time, he was a totally unsympathetic character. Gruff, monosyllabic and rude, she had once called him. But also well-meaning. Would his patients be as forthcoming about that as they would about his abrupt manner?

"Yes," Martin sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Louisa had a horrible thought. "Martin, you aren't going to try and be, well, nice are you? To impress the committee?" She recalled how he had once attempted to be a nice person after one of their early break-ups and it hadn't worked. If anything, it had made him seem creepy.

"What? No." Martin dropped his hand. "If I'm going to lose, I'm going to lose. I might as well be damned for what I am." They lay in silence for a few minutes before he continued.

"He will though."

"He? He who?" Louisa asked.

"Griggs. It seems he's going to make sure the committee know just how much he is loved and how much I am despised." Martin grimaced thinking about Chris's warning after the meeting. If this was a popularity contest, he should start looking for a new position now.

"You aren't despised Martin. This town knows what a good doctor you are and how much effort you put into taking care of them. They just don't always show it. Don't worry, they'll remember," Louisa assured him, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Over the last few years, she had heard quite an earful from people about Martin. They seemed to hope that she could make him be nicer or change him. What they didn't realize was it was the last thing she wanted to do.

After a few more minutes of silence. Martin rolled onto his side to look at her. "He may not be as smart as he thinks." Louisa rolled towards him so they are facing each other. "Oh?"

"He wanted to make sure the committee knew my appointment had not been unanimous. That there was a dissenting opinion that thought I was not a suitable candidate for this position. Asked me, in front of the committee, if it wouldn't be proper to interview that person in full. I had no choice but to agree."

Louisa laughed. She could imagine his face when he found out this plan wasn't going to work as well as hoped.

Martin leaned up on his elbow and looked at her very seriously."So, Miss Glasson. What can I do to convince you to give them a good report?"

"Hmmm… I have to think about that. You might have to remind me about some of you better qualities." She leaned forward and began to passionately kiss him. He eagerly returned the kiss, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. As she nuzzled and kissed his neck and ears, he rolled over, pulling her on top of him. She pulled back for a moment, looking into his eyes. "I love you, Martin." He pulled her down for a lingering kiss. "I love you, too," he whispered back. He started to reach for the bedside table, paused and finally grabbed his mobile, making sure that for once, it was turned off.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for the gap in writing, but I am finally able to get back and finish the story…_

Louisa stood in the middle of the schoolyard and smiled. The black and white decorations flapped in the slight breeze. For once, the weather was working in favour of the Fair. The weekend had taken a surprisingly warm turn and the handful of clouds offered little threat to the day's festivities. The last few stalls were finishing their set up and villagers were starting to arrive. Roger and Maureen should be arriving soon. They had offered to watch James this morning, promising to bring him over after the fair started. Martin should be joining them in a couple hours as the surgery was only open half day today, officially for St. Piran's Day, but she knew he wanted to spend the afternoon with her and James.

She walked over to the food stalls. Bert was hammering up a small sign on the side of his stall. He was offering hot dogs, chips and a special "St. Piran's Punch". He smiled broadly as she approached. "Mornin' Louisa. Beautiful day for it, eh?"

"Hullo Bert. Hullo, Amanda," she smiled as she greeted the young woman. It was nice to see Al's new girlfriend getting involved with the Large Restaurant and spending time with Bert. Amanda stood up and grinned back. "Mornin' Miss Glasson." Louisa thought wistfully of Pauline. As wonderful a couple as she and Al had been, she supposed their relationship was doomed once Pauline had officially moved to Bristol a position opened up in the hospitals phlebotomy lab. Her departure was the one unfortunate remnant from the village's failed experiment with Dr. Dibbs.

"Now Bert," Louisa said in her best Head Teacher voice. "I am assuming there's no alcohol in this special punch." A request for a license to serve alcohol at a public fair cost £200, a number Bert had loudly scoffed at.

"Of course not, Louisa." Bert assured her in a low voice. She noticed his furtive glances around, no doubt making certain that Joe Penhale wasn't snooping about. Louisa leaned in conspiratorially. "I just want to make sure no one under age gets anything they shouldn't." As she spoke the last word she gave him a pointed look.

Bert put a finger to the side of his nose and winked. "Course not, Louisa." She sighed and moved on to the next stall. As much as she loved dear Bert, Louisa would feel better once Al finished at Ruth's farm and arrived to watch over his father.

xxxx

Martin filed the last patient's notes. He had let Morwenna go early to enjoy the fair. He despised these silly village rituals, but he knew how hard Louisa had worked and how excited James had been to go to the fair. For his family, he would make the best of it.

As he cleared up the waiting room to leave, the door opened and a chubby, balding man walked in. "Mornin' Doc," he said warmly.

"The surgery is only open a half day today. Unless it's an emergency, I would ask you to make an appointment for tomorrow," Martin informed him.

"I know, Doc, I know. I was just dropping off report card for my Jaynie." Martin shook his head, not understanding what he meant. "Sorry, I'm Reg Mallard. Jayne's dad," he prompted. Martin continued to stare at him with a quizzical look. "My Jayne. She got the scratch thing done all over her back?"

"Ah, yes. The allergen girl. Thank you." Martin took the card from him. From his initial glance it looked like there was little or no reaction across the board. So he was no closer to solving this mystery.

Mr. Mallard continued. "I can tell you, my Mel was relieved that it wasn't a food thing. She loves cooking all sorts of things and was afraid she'd have to cut back on her menus." Martin placed the card on the reception desk and continued to straighten the waiting room up as Mr. Mallard rambled on. "I mean I told her there was no way she was allergic to milk, I mean we run a dairy farm so Jaynie's been around the stuff since she was in swaddling, you know. Much to our relief when you was testing things like dust and pine needles. Easy to avoid those. I mean I was worried that it was the peanut butter she uses in her pie crusts or the egg in the orange juice or something but with you eliminating foods…"

"What egg in the orange juice?" Martin demanded, spinning to look at the startled man.

"Huh?" Mr Mallard was confused by the sudden interruption of his tale.

"You said the egg in the orange juice. Was Mrs. Mallard putting raw eggs in her daughter's orange juice?"

"Well, yeah. She's always put eggs in the juice. Good supply of protein, right?" Mr. Mallard looked at Martin proudly. His wife was always finding ways of providing the family with good nutrition.

Martin sighed loudly. "Mr. Maynard. Raw eggs can cause salmonella and long-term digestion can lead to biotin deficiency." Martin wondered why on earth patients insisted on not telling him vital facts. "Where is your daughter now," he demanded.

Mr. Mallard blanched. "She's down at the fair helping Mel with her stall. They're selling our milk, cheese, butter, juice, some yogurts..." He counted off the various items they had loaded up on the truck this morning.

Martin's eyes widened. "Are you telling me that your wife is selling orange juice with raw farm eggs at the village fair?"

"Course. She does every year," Mr. Mallard replied.

xxxx

Louisa made another tour of the fair. It was at full tilt and she smiled at the happy faces of the villagers. Yes, Louisa, she thought, you have pulled this off without a hitch. She glanced at her watch and saw it was time to meet up with Roger and Maureen.

As she headed towards the gate heading into the school yard, she saw Martin storming in with Jayne Mallard's father trailing behind desperately trying to keep up waving and gesturing. She recognized the thunderous look that was Martin on the warpath. Oh dear, she thought and ran over to try to stop the disaster that was coming, like fighting a tidal wave.

Martin stopped in front of a stall marked "Mallard Family Farms" in large, red letters. Mrs. Mallard and Jayne looked up. "Afternoon, there, Doc. Can I offer you some juice or milk, on the house," asked Mrs. Mallard. She could see the Doc's face was red and he was clearly in a state and she hoped his wrath wasn't aimed at her.

"Mrs. Mallard. Does that juice contain raw eggs?" Martin demanded, pointed at the large four large jugs on the table at the back of the stall. Mrs. Mallard was confused. "What?"

Martin repeated the question, punctuating every word. "Does that juice contain raw eggs?" By now a crowd was developing around the scene. Mrs. Mallard looked at the jugs and back at the Doctor. "Well, yes, but I don't…"

"Are you aware of the dangers imposed by the serving of raw eggs to an unsuspecting public? Not to mention if anyone is allergic to eggs, you can also be spreading a host of diseases." Both Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were trying to interrupt him, which only made Martin yell louder. "You've already likely caused your daughter to have a vitamin H deficiency, now you are inflicting your concoction on others. Are you trying to poison everyone in this god-forsaken village?" PC Penhale had arrived, sensing a situation brewing.

"Doc, what's up?" Penhale looked around at the crowd that had formed surrounding the Doc and one of the fair stalls. There were mutterings of "poison" and "which stall" as people pointed toward the stalls. Since they couldn't exactly hear what was being said, many were confused about what food was tainted and dropped whatever they had in their hands in bins.

"Penhale, I want you to ensure that these people do not sell any more of that juice to another person. Pour it out if you have to," Martin boomed pointing at the jugs. "Juice?" replied Penhale, totally confused. "Yes, juice."

"Uh, right then," Penhale replied. He looked at Mrs. Mallard, who was near tears, and said softly, "Alright, you heard the Doc. No more juice." Mrs. Mallard nodded, still bewildered as to what caused the problem. Penhale announced, "Alright everyone, just keep enjoying yourselves. Excitement's over."

Martin turned to walk away. As he did, he noticed the crowd standing around him. At the front on the pack was Derek Griggs and Nora Parkes, Chairwoman of the committee. "Well," Griggs commented, shaking his head. "That was exciting." Parkes looked at him with utter contempt. "Is this how to take care of a community, Doctor?" She nodded towards Mr. Mallard who was desperately trying to console his sobbing wife. The two of them joined the crowds moving away from food stalls. Derek glanced back with a grin and waved at Martin.

Great, thought Martin. Could this get any worse? As he turned to leave, he noticed someone else standing in front of the crowd. Louisa glared at him, arms crossed, clearly trying to control her temper. She glanced to the side to watch the Parkes and Griggs departure and then her head snapped back towards Martin, her pony tail whipping around her face.

He opened his mouth the say something, but his voiced failed him. He could tell she was furious at him. He looked away to avoid watching her storm away and his eyes fell on some of the other food stall owners. Moments before they had been serving customers and enjoying the extra income. Now their stalls stood lonely and they all glared at him angrily. Someone muttered, "thanks, Doc." He turned back to Louisa, but she was already lost in the crowd, probably on her way to wherever she was supposed to meet Roger to get James Henry. Martin let out a long sigh and left the yard, heading straight home. He would await for Louisa there as he was certain she didn't want to see him now. He could only hope that she would have calmed down a little before coming home.


	10. Chapter 10

Martin sat at the kitchen table, working out his best course of action. If he could convince Louisa that he was only doing what he had to do, then she might forgive him. At least she might understand him. He jumped a little as the phone rang. He walked into the darkened reception area and tentatively picked up the receiver. "Yes?"

"Well, Martin," Ruth said with a sardonic laugh. "If the beating of the jungle drums is correct, you made quite a spectacle this afternoon. Another banner day for the Ellingham clan?" Martin's first reaction was relief. He had been concerned that it Louisa ringing to tell him she was staying with friends that night, too disgusted with him to return home. His second thought was the realization that if Ruth, out at Havenhurst, knew about the fair, then the whole of North Cornwall knew.

"Aunt Ruth, if you've called to scold me, then I..."

"Sorry to interrupt you self-flagellation, Martin, but I haven't called to join the torch and pitchfork brigade. On the contrary, I was actually calling to find out if you were on your way."

"On my way? What do you mean?" Martin was puzzled. Had they made plans to visit Ruth this evening that he had forgotten?

"Well, considering that Louisa was the chairwoman of the fair and seeing as you seem to have snatched defeat from the jaws of her victory, I thought you might be looking for a place to sleep tonight. I wanted to know if I should leave a light on for you." Martin noticed, not for the first time, that Ruth had an unfortunate Ellingham trait of being unable to convincingly express empathy. Even as she was calling out of worry and offering to help, she couldn't help sounding as if she was somehow enjoying his moment of suffering.

"Thank you for your concern, Auth Ruth, but I have no plans to visit you this evening," he replied as confidently a voice as he could muster.

"Ah," she responded. "So Louisa hasn't come home yet." Damn, he thought. He hated how she could read through every situation. "Well, Martin, I'll leave a light on just in case. Or I'll text you if she decides to sleep here."

"Martin, I'm sure you've be sitting there figuring out different ways of convincing Louisa you were right. That you had to do what you did and that the community needs someone like you whether they realize it or appreciate it. One piece of advice." _Great, thought Martin, relationship advice from an old maid who enjoyed chatting with psychopaths_. "Aegrescit medendo. The cure is sometimes worse than the disease. There was a small chance that one product out of one hundred could have made someone ill. You destroyed a community event meant to bring a little joy into a rural community during a time of year when there are few crops and the sea is too dangerous. And you, Martin Ellingham, partner of Miss Glasson, father of young James, decided the best course of action was to wreak havoc. That's all."

"Thank you, Aunt Ruth, but I doubt I…" Martin stopped talking when he realized that she had already hung up the phone.

Martin sat on the desk replaying the day. Ruth's final comments kept intruding on his introspection. _If he was wrong about his handling of the fair, then…_ He was woken from his thoughts by the sound of James Henry's voice in the kitchen and the lights turning on. He sat in the safety of the darkened consulting room for a moment more, collecting his thoughts before putting on a brave face.

"Hi Daddy!" yelled James, running into Martin's arms. "Did you hear about the fair? Apparently someone was selling poison." Martin looked up a Louisa. She looked just as angry as she had this afternoon and James's excited retelling of the poison wasn't helping. He unsuccessfully tried to catch her eye, to gage whether Ruth as right and he should start the drive to her farm. "My first fair and there's poison," squealed the little voice, enjoying the excitement of a three-year-olds innocent understanding of events.

"Alright James," Martin gently shushed him. "Have you eaten supper yet?"

"Yep. Mum and I had fish and chips with Mr. and Mrs. Fenn." Martin wasn't pleased at the unhealthy meal they had eaten, but decided it was better to stay quiet. Perhaps it gave Louisa a chance to vent and cool off before she told him what she thought of him.

"James," Louisa said softly. "Why don't you get your pyjamas on and pick out your story? Your Daddy can help you." As she spoke, she still hadn't looked at him.

Martin carried his son upstairs and helped him with his bedtime routine. He handed Martin his favourite book about Alexander's bad day, a book that had some resonance with Martin this evening. As he turned the last pages, James had drifted off to sleep, probably exhausted from the day's stimulation. Martin tucked him in and kissed his forehead. He went down the stairs to face the firing squad.

Louisa was sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of tea. She looked at Martin as he came in and sat down at the table across from her. For several minutes, neither of them spoke. Finally, Martin couldn't take the silence. He inhaled and opened his mouth to speak.

"Not now, Martin." Louisa closed her eyes and put her left hand out as if to physically stop him. They continued sitting in silence until Martin found the uncertainty unbearable.

"You're still cross with me," he declared.

"Not cross. Disappointed. This day was about my work, the village getting to celebrate in the middle of winter, James's first fair and you couldn't help ruining it all." He started to object, but she cut him off again. "Don't tell me about health hazards or community safety. There were ten different ways to handle today, nine of which would have preserved the pleasantness of affair and let you been the guardian of the community's welfare. One would have you alienating everyone, including the stupid committee, and embarrassing me. And which did you insist on choosing." She had spoken this simply, just declaring a fact. Martin found this far more disconcerting than if she were yelling and throwing things at him.

"Louisa, I'm…I'm sorry." He put his hand over hers, testing her reaction.

"Are you?" She grunted softly. "I'm tired and heading to bed. Good night." She stood, placed her cup in the sink and headed upstairs.

Martin sat motionless and listened to her going about her nightly routine. Once he was certain she was in bed, he made the rounds downstairs, turning off lights and checking that the doors were locked before heading upstairs himself.

xxxx

It was after midnight and they were both still awake. Louisa was lying on her side, facing away from Martin. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He knew if he said something, the chances were high that he would say the wrong thing, sustaining her anger or giving her something else to be angry about. Still, the one thing he had learned in the three years the two of them had lived together was that not talking always made things worse. Sitting up slightly, he started slowly in a low voice.

"Louisa. I know you're upset that I ruined today and all your hard work. And I've given the village one more reason to question your judgment in being with me. It's just that…if one person was made sick and I had it the opportunity to prevent it and didn't, then I've failed as a physician." He breathed a deep breath before continuing.

"Medicine is the only think I know, the only thing I'm good at and the only place I can demonstrate my competence, my worth. It sounds ridiculous, I realize that." Louisa hadn't reacted, so Martin continued to explain. "I regret that my actions today hurt you. I couldn't care less how the village sees me, but I realized this evening that it's not just about me. You're also the one to face the mockery of the town, the jokes, endless complaints about what a tosser I am. You and soon enough, James Henry. I worry that one day you and he will come to despise for putting you in that position. That's what I am sorry for, for making you a part of my…disgrace."

Louisa hadn't moved during his entire speech. Had she fallen asleep, or did the words not make an impact or her? He rubbed his forehead – maybe he needed to explain everything. "As for the committee…"

"Shhh." Louisa whispered turning around. She looked at him for a moment, trying to discern whether his apology was genuine. His downcast eyes were the cool blue/grey of the sea and his mouth was frowning, but with no tension. It was a rare sight these days, but she recognized it as the expression he had when he doubted himself and doubted her willingness to love him. She put her arms around him and cuddled into his chest. "That's enough for tonight." Martin put his arms around her and pulled her in closer, grateful that she seemed to forgive him. He kissed her forehead and they both lay back and closed their eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

"Yes?"

Martin was annoyed at the knock on the door. He had been reviewing Jayne Mallard's records and realized that she hadn't gotten a flu vaccine in a number of years. Dr. Simm had made note of a bad reaction to the one she received in her first year of primary school and had decided against giving it again. Although Simm hadn't made the connection between flu vaccines and eggs, it pointed to an egg allergy and Martin felt her should have caught this. It would have saved her a lot of painful testing and him a great deal of embarrassment.

Morwenna poked her head around the door. "'nother one of the committee people here for an interview. Should I send him in?" Martin sighed and nodded.

Wonderful. His first interview with Dr. Spencer and Dr. Carson had not gone well. He had assumed that his credentials as a medical professional would play well with the other physicians on the panel. Unfortunately, both were also avid golfers, like Griggs. Once the stopped talking medicine, there were several dragged out silences before the two men made their apologies and left. How was he supposed to impress the lay members of the committee if he couldn't even convince the doctor's he was a better physician?

A few seconds later the door opened. A thin, reedy man with glasses and a badly shaved goatee entered. Martin had a momentary flashback to Louisa's obnoxious neighbours with the insufferable child that had ruined their second attempt at a date. He held out a hand as he walked towards Martin's desk.

"Dr. Ellingham, thank you for seeing me. Tim Carville, Deputy Director of Accountability for the Southwest." Martin nodded at him. "Please have a seat." Carville stood for a moment with his extended hand wavering. He dropped in slowly and sat. "Tea or water," offered Martin, remembering the advice Louisa had given him this morning. Carville looked surprised but nodded. "Tea would be lovely." Martin leaned back and yelled, "MORWENNA". Carville jumped and dropped the folder the was holding on his lap. After a moment the door opened and she poked her head in.

"Yeah, doc?"

"Tea, one cup."

"Please."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Milk? Sugar?" Martin looked at the man bent over collecting some papers that had scattered, shoving them into a dark blue folder. He sat up and replied, "Milk, no sugar." Morwenna closed the door. Martin turned back to Carville and stared at him expectantly.

Carville continued to attempt to organize his papers. "Yes, right. Erm, Dr. Elling…ham. I wanted….to ask you some…questions about your…practice here in….erm…"

"Portwenn," Martin finished, trying not to roll his eyes. Louisa's voice rang in his ear. _Be polite. You don't have to make friend, but treat them like they matter. They do._ The door opened and Morwenna came in with a tray. In the center of the tray was a single cup of tea which she presented to Carville. He took in and mumbled, "thank you." "Your grace," she replied and turned walk out. She stopped at the door and started to ask if there was anything else when she saw the Doc glaring at her. She wisely decided to quit before he blew his stack and closed the door behind her.

Carville gave up organizing and settled back in his chair, sipping his tea. "So, Doctor… what made you decide to become a doctor." Martin tilted his head as he was being addressed in a foreign language. Carville continued, "When did you decide to become a physician. To be a healer?"

Martin was unsure of where this was going. "My great-grandfather taught medicine. My grandfather was a physician. My father was surgeon." Carville looked at him thoughtfully before replying, "So it's the family business so to speak." Martin stared back. "Yes."

Carville pressed on, "No other interests? No thoughts of becoming a drummer in rock band or winning the Cup for England?" Martin again tilted his head. What was this man going on about? _Rock band? What cup?_

"What I mean is, what other interests did you have? What other interests might have stolen your heart from medicine?" Martin continued to stare, completely unprepared for what answer was expected. "My education was in science, mathematics and languages. St. Philip's naturally expected us to participate in House sporting events, a requirement which I fulfilled."

"Let try a different route. Do you have any hobbies or outside interests?" Martin could feel his stomach harden. He replied flatly, "I repair clocks." Carville looked expectantly, waiting for him to elaborate. "When I can," finished Martin. Carville shook his head. Martin had had enough – he was clearly dealing with another person looking for a partner for golf or lawn darts or whatever turned his fancy. "Look, I don't understand what this has to do with…"

Carville leaned forward and interrupted. "Dr. Ellingham. I am well aware of your credentials and you have an impressive CV. What I am looking for is what else you contribute to the community. The GP is a cornerstone of any society, the foundation for the welfare of every villager. I want to know how you integrate within Portwenn as a whole. How do you relate to the villagers and how do they relate to you? How do you connect with your community?"

Martin looked down at his hands which were folded on this desk. He took a deep breath before responding. "Mr. Caville, I am doctor, first and always. What the people of this village need is a competent physician who is up-to-date on training and diagnostic care. To accomplish this to a standard I expect of any doctor takes every second I have. This week, I have attempted to have dinner with my family each evening. Three times I was late because my patient list took longer than my office hours. Twice I was called out to an emergency in the middle of the meal. The one night I made it through dinner, I was called out in the middle of the night to treat a sustained asthma attack which lasted four hours. I returned home in time to shower, have breakfast and see my first patient. If I am doing my job, I do not have time for extra-curricular activities. I am not here to be a pal to anyone. I have no intention of telling a patient to hold their medical problem until after my golf game."

As silence descended between them, Carville leaned back, eyeing Martin with a bemused expression. Finally, he frowned and placed his tea cup on Martin's desk. "Dr. Ellingham, I feel I have taken enough of your time. Thank you for seeing me." He quietly rose and headed for the door.

Martin watched him and realized he had done it again. Another disappointed committee member who would no doubt head straight to Chris Parsons and deliver his judgment. Martin leaped up and followed him into the waiting room. He felt like he should say something, do something. "Mr. Carville, I should have…" Carville turned back and replied, "No need, I assure you. Good afternoon." He wished Morwenna pleasant day and thanked her again for the tea before heading out the front door. She watched him leave and looked back at the Doc. "Guess that went well. More tea?"

xxxx

Louisa stirred the rice and checked on the chicken breasts before calling out, "Dinner will be ready in five minutes." Martin came into the kitchen, walked over to the sink and placed a small step-stool beside it. A moment later, James ran up and climbed the stool, pushing up his sleeves. Martin placed a small drop of soap in his little hands before placing a slightly larger drop in his own. They began rubbing the soap into their hands and James counted to twenty. Louisa watched this nightly ritual with a smile – she loved that they looked like the same person, only two different sizes. "Twenty!" yelled James and Martin turned on the water. They rinsed their hands, dried them and James headed to his chair while Martin returned the stool to the corner.

As they ate dinner, Louisa waited for Martin to tell her how the interview that day had gone. Finally, she had to ask, "So, how was your meeting today with Mr…." "Carville," finished Martin. Louisa was surprised. Usually it took several meetings for Martin to remember a name.

"I went fine. I think. Maybe." Martin still hadn't made his mind up. Carville hadn't seemed pleased, but he had not left angry or sped out to door looking for a quick escape. "He wasn't angry, if that's what you are asking."

"No, Martin. I just want to know what you thought of the interview," Louisa sighed. She was hoping he listened to her advice and made it through one interview with a positive result.

"Like I said, he wasn't angry. But he didn't smile. He just sort of…left." Martin looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders. Louisa eyed him warily. Martin was incapable of lying or covering up the truth, so this was probably an accurate description. But was it good or bad? "So, what's next?"

"Thursday I am meeting with the Chairwoman at Chris's office. She has taken over his space for the remainder of this blasted drivel."

"BLASTED DRIVEL!" echoed James with a huge grin.

"Nice, Martin."


End file.
